Novel system and method adapted to enable simultaneous play of one or more sports games in the same facility with automated ball delivery, tracking and collection

ABSTRACT

The present invention comprises a unique system and method for providing adaptable ball delivery and tracking, including appropriate sensor hardware, interactive gameplay user interfaces and point of sales systems. The system and method of the present invention are especially relevant to baseball and softball as, among other components, the system comprises a vertical, ground-up soft toss ball delivery mechanism, automated player and ball-tracking devices, and ball-collection and transport systems. The ball collection and return components eliminate the need for “fielders” and enable the creation of the first “batting range”. The vertical, ground-up soft-toss pitch machine further enables the first multi-story batting facility with player batting bays that open onto a sports field. Further, certain embodiments of the present invention integrate hitting screens, augmented reality display and simultaneous coordination of gameplay and communication between players, regardless of the players&#39; physical location.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of the earlier filing date of U.S. Nonprovisionalapplication Ser. No. 15/497,207, filed on Apr. 26, 2017, which is herebyincorporated in entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present invention relates to facilities for playing, practicing, andtraining of sports games, specifically including, without limitation,disc or Frisbee games and ball games, such as for example basketball,football, soccer, kickball and stick-, club- and bat-and-ball games,including baseball, softball, cricket, hurling, lacrosse, golf, fieldhockey, floor hockey and ice hockey, etc. More specifically, the presentinvention relates to an improved system for game play, practice andtraining adapted to enable an increased number of players and traineesto safely and simultaneously participate in training, practice or playof various different sports games in the same facility, including,without limitation, those listed in the immediately preceding sentence.

2. Description of Related Art

Stick-and-ball or stick-and-puck games are generally played by twoopposing teams on a field of play. There are many differentstick-and-ball games, including hurling, lacrosse, golf, ball hockey,bandy, broomball, floorball, field hockey, floor hockey and ice hockey,among many other games. Offensive and defensive roles are typicallydetermined by possession of the ball or puck, with the team playingoffense having possession and offensive and defensive roles changingdynamically in accordance with possession.

As opposed to bat-and-ball games, club-and-ball, stick-and-ball andstick-and-puck games are typically played with the ball or puckprimarily in contact with the surface of the ground or field. Incontrast, bat-and-ball games are generally played with the balldelivered in the air to a player by a pitch, and when the ball is hitthe defense team either catches the ball in the air or throws the ballin the air to other defensive players to get the offensive player “out”.

Bat-and-ball games are generally played by two opposing teams on a fieldof play. There are many different bat-and-ball games, includingbaseball, rounders, softball, stickball, t-ball, Wiffle Ball®, andcricket. Bat-and-ball game teams typically involve teams alternatingbetween defensive and offensive roles. The team in the offensive role issometimes referred to as being “at bat”, and the team playing defense as“in the field”.

A player in the field may put a ball in play by throwing or pitching theball to a player who is “at bat”. The player at bat, or the “batter”,attempts to score points by hitting the ball to achieve a particularresult, depending on the rules of the particular bat-and-ball game. Forexample, in some bat-and-ball games, after hitting the ball the battermay attempt to run from the “at bat” position to a scoring position. Inbaseball, this is accomplished by running through a series of bases, orsafe zones, until reaching a scoring location.

While in contact with a base, the runner is “safe” from the fieldingteam and may attempt to run to additional bases and ultimately to reacha scoring position or base, known as “home plate” in baseball, to scorea point or a “run”. When not in contact with a base the runner may be atrisk of “getting out”, or being removed from the field of play by thedefensive team.

When the defensive team gets a certain number of batters and runnersout, the teams switch offensive and defensive roles. The number of outsrequired depends on the rules of the particular bat-and-ball game. Theduration of a game is typically determined by completing a number ofperiods, sometimes referred to as innings, in which each team takesturns playing both offense and defense.

In baseball, the objective for the offensive team, or the team “at bat”,and for each batter up to bat at home plate, is to hit a pitched ballinto the playing field in such a way as to enable the batter to make itsafely to base and allow other runners to safely reach the next base, orto hit the ball out of the playing field for a “home run” score. Whenplayers successfully round all of the bases to reach home plate, theoffensive team scores points, or “runs”.

For the defensive team, the objective is to strike out as many playersas possible with pitched balls and, if a ball is hit, for the players inthe field to catch a fly ball, achieving an out, or to field a groundball and either to force an out by touching a base, to which a runnermust run before that runner touches that base, while holding the ball,or to touch a runner with the ball before the runner is able to make itonto an open base. The team with the most runs at the end of the gamewins.

Sports fans have long admired the ability of athletes to hit a round,pitched baseball with a round, wooden bat. And both power hitters,batters who frequently hit home runs and deep into the outfield, andplacement hitters, batters who can place a hit ball into specificlocations in the field, are both extremely valuable assets for offensiveplay. Bat-and-ball hitting games may be structured to reward powerhitting, the ability to hit long distances, placement hitting, theability to hit a baseball into specific locations, or other skills.

Many games have been developed that include the ball hitting aspect ofbaseball. For example, Home Run Derby®, a power hitting game, describedby Major League Baseball as “entertainment in the nature of batting andhitting demonstrations featuring a variety of entertainment and sportscelebrities.”

However, compared to other individual or small team sports, many of thebat-and-ball games currently played typically have severaldisadvantages. For example, some bat-and-ball games, such as baseball,require a large playing field and a large number of players to cover theplaying field (9 players per team in the case of baseball). Theseinherent constraints of the team size for the conventional bat and ballgames limit where and when the game may be played and also makes itdifficult for a few players to get together to practice or participatein a “pickup” game.

Moreover, standard playing fields are too large for average players tohit homeruns consistently, so game play is less appealing than it couldbe. Further, because the baseball playing field is so large, moststadiums are open air—only 6 out of 30 major league baseball stadiumshave extendable roofs to protect game play against the elements andprevent game delays due to uncooperative weather.

Further, despite the fact that non-traditional bat-and-ball hittinggames such as MLB's Home Run Derby have grown significantly inpopularity since their roots in the 1980s, opportunities to participatein these hitting games have been very limited for average individuals(non-celebrities and non-professional sports players). Typically,average individuals may only be able to find a handful of opportunitiesto play these types of games, such as home run derbies held at localcounty fairs or at community benefit events.

Also, the playing equipment for many bat-and-ball games may not becompatible with indoor or small space use. While some bat-and-ball gameshave been adapted to small space play, they often lack sophisticationand may easily lose the interest of players or spectators. Furthermore,some bat-and-ball games adapted for small space use may not requiresubstantial athleticism or generate an energetic game pace.

Online multiplayer bat-and-ball games provide opportunities for socialinteraction and comradery. In addition, video game versions ofbat-and-ball games are very popular and create an exciting game playexperience, but the extent of the physical activity involved is minimal,involving almost exclusively fine-motor hand-eye coordination.Overindulgence in video games has been attributed to recent trends inincreasing obesity, overdependence on technology for entertainment and ageneral lack of the appropriate social environment to foster teamworkand sportsmanship.

Thus, it is desirable to have an improved sports game facility andsystem that provides technologically enhanced game play, encouragesphysical activity, athletic intensity and competition, and which iscompatible with different types of spaces, including play in outdoor,indoor and hybrid spaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following is a summary of the invention in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is notintended to identify all key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the entire scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a preludeto the more detailed description that is presented later.

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included inat least one embodiment of claimed subject matter. Thus, appearances ofphrases such as “in one embodiment” or “an embodiment” in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment. Furthermore, particular features, structures, orcharacteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments.

This invention relates to stick-, club- and bat-and-ball games,including baseball, softball, cricket, hurling, lacrosse, golf, fieldhockey, floor hockey and ice hockey, etc. More specifically, the presentinvention relates to an improved system for game play, practice andtraining adapted to enable an increased number of players and traineesto safely and simultaneously participate in training, practice or playof various different sports games in the same facility, including,without limitation, those listed in the immediately preceding sentence.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved gamesystem and facility. The present invention involves a basic aspect oftraditional stick-and-ball and bat-and-ball games—hitting a puck orball. According to one aspect of certain embodiments of the presentinvention, a game facility and system is provided that is adaptable formodular construction, enabling the easy extension of player hitting baysor batting bays in the lateral direction and stacking of the playerhitting bays or batting bays in the vertical direction.

It is also an object of the present invention to create an adaptablefacility and playing field capable of being reconfigured to accommodatethe different ball and puck hitting games of the present invention, aswell as other games, even if not disclosed herein. In accordance withanother aspect of the invention, the facility may include a number ofhitting bays, configured to accommodate multiple players and teams ofplayers, which may be disposed along a number of levels.

Players may hit pucks or balls from the player hitting bays or battingbays into a playing field or into a screen depicting or displaying aplaying field. The puck or ball may be pitched or tossed or the puck orball may be held stationary, e.g. by a batting tee, or simply set ordropped on the ground. For bat-and-ball sports, balls may be pitched tothe players using a vertical or “soft toss” pitching machine.

For bat-and-ball games, a batter's plate and pitcher's mound may bedisposed within the batting bay, and the vertical or “soft toss” pitchmachine may be located within several feet of the batter's plate,possibly in front of the batter's plate or on the side of the batter'splate opposite to an occupied batter's box. Alternatively, the batter'splate or pitcher's mound may further be configured to house the mouth ofthe soft toss pitching machine that delivers the vertically pitched ballthrough the top of the batter's plate. In addition, players who wish todo so may have the pitching mechanism replaced with a batting tee. In apreferred embodiment, the batting tee comprises a telescopic mechanism.

Further, for some bat-and-ball games, the “soft toss” vertically pitchedball may always be a “strike” pitch, meaning that players must swing atevery pitch or receive a strike towards a potential out. Alternatively,the pitching mechanism may be configured to alter the pitching speed,height and/or angle to place the ball into different quadrants orsectors of the strike zone or to place the ball outside of the strikezone altogether.

Advantageously, employing a vertical or “soft toss” pitch machine meansthat no helmet is necessary for the batter and no backstop or battingcage or netting is required for the safety of the other participants inthe player batting bay, however helmets, backstops or batting cages maybe used as for precautionary measures and for aesthetics. Further,helmets with display visors may be used as a convenient way to displayaugmented reality overlays to the players.

This invention is especially relevant to baseball and softball, and moreparticularly provides a system and method of game play for conducting abaseball or softball hitting game. The playing field extends forward outfrom the batting bays and also laterally, beyond either end of thebatting bays. The ground or the pitch of the playing field may comprisea number of demarcated zones, each of increasingly greater distance fromthe batting bays, and a number of targets within the zones.

In addition, the field includes a back fence, rising to a specifiedmaximum height, and also a back wall extending up to a greater maximumheight. Further, the back wall may be divided or sectioned into multiplezones and methods of demarcation may include changes in height, color orshape and size of depicted targets.

A central computer may use one or more mechanisms, or a combination ofmultiple mechanisms including, without limitation, radar, infrared,optical, high-speed or other type of camera or remote sensing detector,including but not limited to motion sensors, RFID, pressure sensors orsmart textiles to determine whether player has made a swing, or anattempt to hit the ball, and whether a ball or strike was committed fora particular pitch, which tracts, segments, zones and/or targets arestruck by a hit ball. According to another aspect of the presentinvention, a scoring board may be displayed on a screen within eachindividual player batting bay or virtually in an augmented realitydisplay.

The high speed cameras used to track the ball trajectory may also beused to record a video replay of the swing and give individuals theoption to replay, save, or share the video through the user interfaceand mobile application with options to connect to their social mediaaccounts and share with their network.

A hit-ball collection system may include, infield and outfield walls ofvarious heights, collection traps, funnels, channels and piping, throughwhich the balls are designed to roll due to variations in local pitch orangle of the field. The hit-ball collection system then transports thehit-balls to a system that feeds the balls to the pitching devices.

Another aspect of the present invention is that it is inclusive ofmultiple game modes. Game modes may include single player game modes,such as for example arcade mode, training mode and online gameplay, andmulti-player modes, such as on-site competitive gameplay, training mode,scrimmage mode and online gameplay. Further, the present inventionincludes a method of conducting point of sale transactions, such as“loser pays”, as further described below in the detailed description.

In the single player arcade mode, players may select from a series ofsingle player games. In training or scrimmage modes, players canpractice batting for distance and accuracy and engage in a variety ofother training exercises and “non-league” gameplay. Online gameplay modeallows players to select among various games for online play againstother users in other batting bays at the same location or other playersat remote geographic locations.

These and other aspects of the present invention are realized in abat-and-ball game system and method as shown and described in thefollowing FIGs and related description. Additional features andadvantages of the invention will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, which together illustrate by way of example, the features ofthe invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the present invention are shown and described inreference to the numbered drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a single player bay and a modular sports field thatextends along a tract of in front of the open side of the modular playerbay.

FIG. 2 depicts a single level structure of modular player bays, adjacentto each other in a line, along with their associated tracts of modularsports field.

FIG. 3 depicts a multilevel structure of modular player bays, adjacentto each other in a line, along with their associated tracts of modularsports field.

FIG. 4 depicts examples of target zones that may be placed or projectedonto the modular segments of the sports field.

FIG. 5 depicts a two-story line of modular batting bays with exemplarytarget zones placed or projected onto the modular sports field segments.

FIGS. 6A and 6B respectively depict a potential floor layout foradjacent player bays and a multilevel section of adjacent player bays.FIG. 6C is an interactive scoreboard with connectivity to the pitchingmachine and batter identification cameras and sensors, as well as theball and gameplay tracking technology.

FIG. 7 depicts a single player batting bay, with a hitting screen, ballcollection trap, funnel and channel feeding the balls back into a softtoss pitch machine.

FIG. 8 depicts a mobile version of the single player batting bay shownin FIG. 7, including wheels and a hitch for easy transport to a locationwhere the batting bay may be used or stored.

FIG. 9 depicts a section of sports field with targets placed, projectedonto or displayed over the modular sports field segments.

FIGS. 10A-10C depict different variations of a ball collection andfeeding mechanism, for feeding balls collected from the sports fieldinto a ball delivery machine for delivery to players within the playerbay.

FIGS. 11A and 11B depict a pitching app interface for controlling thetype and placement of a pitch to be delivered to a player in the playerbay.

FIG. 12 depicts a strike zone determined based on player height, sizeand posture (e.g., using Doppler radar, cameras and other sensors).

FIGS. 13A and 13B depict a strike zone determined based on playerheight, size and posture (e.g., using Doppler radar, cameras and othersensors), and FIG. 13B depicts precise placement of a pitched ball intodifferent quadrants or sectors of a strike zone.

FIGS. 14A-14D depict various views of a vertical or “soft toss” pitchingmachine integrated within a home plate-shaped delivery mechanism.

FIG. 15 depicts a vertical or soft toss pitching machine integratedwithin a home plate-shaped ball delivery mechanism.

FIG. 16 depicts a top-down view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine mouth or protective enclosure.

FIG. 17 depicts an underside view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine protective enclosure.

FIG. 18 depicts a perspective view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine mouth or protective enclosure.

FIG. 19 depicts an embodiment of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine with two or more launchpads for projecting balls into differentquadrants or sectors of the strike-zone.

FIG. 20 depicts a side-view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine.

FIG. 21 depicts a side-to-side cross-sectional view of the vertical orsoft toss pitching machine.

FIG. 22 depicts a front-to-back cross-sectional view of the vertical orsoft toss pitching machine.

FIG. 23 depicts a side-view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine with a conversion post inserted to transform the pitchingmachine into a batting tee.

FIG. 24 depicts a side-view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine with a conversion post inserted to transform the pitchingmachine into a batting tee that projects or suspends the ball usingdirected air pressure.

FIG. 25 depicts a side-view of an embodiment vertical or soft tosspitching machine that projects or suspends the ball using directed airpressure.

FIG. 26 depicts an embodiment of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine, suspended from the ceiling and using dropping or project theball from above into the strike zone.

FIG. 27A depicts a player wearing a helmet with an augmented realityvisor and 27B and 27C depict close-up views of a helmet with anaugmented reality visor.

FIG. 28 depicts a layout for the sports facility and sports field.

FIG. 29 depicts a close-up, top-down layout view of a batting bay andspectator lounge area.

FIG. 30 depicts a close-up, perspective view of a player bay spectatorlounge area.

FIG. 31 depicts a close-up, side view of a player bay and spectatorlounge area.

FIG. 32 depicts a batting bay with a hitting screen and transparentprotective shield between the batting bay and the spectator lounge area.

FIG. 33 depicts a batting bay with the ground-up, soft toss pitchingmachine located under home plate.

FIG. 34 depicts a batting bay with the ground-up, soft toss pitchingmachine located in front of home plate and the batter's box.

FIG. 35 depicts a top-down view of a potential layout and dimensions fora batting bay.

FIG. 36 depicts a side perspective view of a potential layout anddimensions for a batting bay.

FIG. 37 depicts a view of the internal structure of a player bay,including channels for transport of balls, pucks and other sportsequipment.

FIG. 38 depicts a process and computer logic for implementing a “LoserPays” mode of gameplay.

FIG. 39 depicts a perspective view of a batting bay.

FIG. 40 depicts a close-up view of the trap, funnel and channel of abatting bay, with the channel transporting the balls to a ground-up,soft toss pitching machine.

FIG. 41 depicts a close-up, side perspective view of the trap, funneland channel of a batting bay, with the channel transporting the balls toa ground-up, soft toss pitching machine.

FIG. 42 depicts a close-up, top-down perspective view of the balltransport channel and the ground-up, soft toss pitch mechanism, as wellas the trap and funnel of the batting bay and the area under the battingbay where the ground-up, soft toss pitching machine is housed.

FIG. 43 depicts a close-up, side perspective view of the ground-up, softtoss pitching machine.

It will be appreciated that the drawings are illustrative and notlimiting of the scope of the invention which is defined by the appendedclaims. The embodiments shown accomplish various aspects and objects ofthe invention. It is appreciated that it is not possible to clearly showeach element and aspect of the invention in a single FIG, and as such,multiple FIGs are presented to separately illustrate the various detailsof the invention in greater clarity. Similarly, not every embodimentneed accomplish all advantages of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention and accompanying drawings will now be discussed so as toenable one skilled in the art to practice the present invention. These,and other, aspects and objects of the present invention will be betterappreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with thefollowing description and the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood, however, that the following description, whileindicating preferred embodiments of the present invention and numerousspecific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not oflimitation. The drawings and following description are exemplary ofvarious aspects of the invention and are not intended to narrow thescope of the appended claims.

Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of thepresent invention without departing from the spirit thereof and theinvention includes all such modifications. For instance, although thedetailed description deals primarily with bat-and-ball games, theinvention is intended to cover many sports games, including withoutlimitation the following: disc or frisbee games and ball games, such asfor example basketball, football, soccer, kickball and stick-, club- andbat-and-ball games, including baseball, softball, cricket, hurling,lacrosse, golf, field hockey, floor hockey and ice hockey, etc.

In many cities, there are more teams and players than convenient fieldlocations allow for flexibility and availability of scheduling gameplay. In addition, in order to get onto the schedule for local sportsfields, players must often be members of teams that participate inrecreational sports leagues. Recreational sports players typically haveto commit to a full season of league game play and might not be able tomake it to every game, precluding or dis-incentivizing many would-beinfrequent or only sometimes players.

Further, adverse weather can result in unexpected game cancellations forunprotected sports fields, further complicating scheduling efforts. Andfurthermore, everyone wants to hit but few want to chase balls. One ofthe primary advantages of this invention, is that it vastly increasesthe number of people who can safely and simultaneously participate inhitting or shooting practice and club- or bat-and-ball games.

In addition, the present invention comprises a computer and internetconnected gamification system, which enables users to combine virtualand physical characteristics of the sports they love most. Further, thepresent invention provides an improved facility and system that enablestechnologically enhanced game play, encourages physical activity,athletic intensity and competition, and which is compatible withdifferent types of spaces, including play in outdoor, indoor and hybridspaces.

Players may hit pucks or balls from the player hitting bays or battingbays into a playing field or into a screen that may depict or display aplaying field. Further, the playing field, targets located therein, andthe trajectory and full path traveled by the puck or ball may bedisplayed within an augmented reality system 155. The puck or ball maybe pitched or tossed or the puck or ball may be held stationary, e.g. bya batting tee, or simply set or dropped on the ground. For bat-and-ballsports, balls may be pitched to the players using a vertical or “softtoss” pitching machine.

A primary embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1,comprises a sports facility 20 including one or more player bays 14,which may have attendant and tracts 10 of sports field 15 composed ofmultiple field segments 12. The player bays or batting bays may bemodular in construction, and may also include one or more conduits 13comprising a sports equipment transport system that is configured toconnect to sports equipment collection and delivery systems and totransport sports equipment back to the modular bays 14.

The conduits 13, may comprise ducts, tubing, piping or other types ofchannels connected to a sports equipment delivery mechanism locatedwithin the player bays 14, as well as to a sports equipment collectionrepository. Enabling the modular characteristic of the player bays, theconduits 13 may be adapted with an opening 17 at either end of theconduit, that connects to corresponding opening at the bottom of aconduit 13 integrated within a player bay to be stacked on top of theplayer bay below.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a sports field 15(FIG. 2) and a sports facility 20, which may comprise a series of playerhitting bays or batting bays 14 (FIGS. 2, 3, 5 & 6). Integration ofbat-and-ball sports within the sports facility 20 and vertical stackingof the player bays (FIGS. 3, 5 & 6) is enabled by a vertical, ground-up“soft toss” pitching machine 100 (FIGS. 13B-26).

This ground-up, soft-toss pitching machine enables the uniqueintegration of bat-and-ball sports within the multi-level configurationof the sports facility 20 by compacting the space required for deliveryof a mechanical pitch, allowing the player bays 14 (FIGS. 1 and 3-5) tobe stacked one on top of each other. Because of the distance (typically40 ft. to 60 ft.) required to be maintained between the hitter and thepitching machine, horizontal pitching machines are not well suited tovertical stacking of multiple player hitting bays 14 that open onto asports field.

This is because of the fact that, even with a horizontal pitchingmachine at the edge of a batter's bay that opens onto the sports field,unless the player hits a line drive or a hard ground ball, the ball willnot make it out of the batter's bay into the sports field. Further, itis also not feasible to place the horizontal pitching machine on thesports field and to have the horizontal pitching machine make accuratepitches to batters located in batter's bays that are above the groundfloor.

For these reasons, incorporating the ground-up, soft toss pitchingmachine enables the unique integration of bat-and-ball game batter'sbays above ground level in the novel multi-story player bay sportsfacility of the present invention. Another disadvantage to thehorizontal pitching machine is the danger posed to players, observersand equipment, such as augmented reality helmets 150 that incorporate avariety of sensitive computer electronics, sensor and detectors.

In other embodiments, the sports facility 20 of the present inventionmay comprise non-modular or custom constructed player bays 14. Inaddition, the core, primary embodiment of the present invention mayfurther comprise a single player bay (FIGS. 1, 7 and 8). The player bay14 may incorporate a “hitting” screen 30, which may be mechanicallydeployed and retracted, e.g., for storage. In certain embodiments, theplayer bay 14 may also comprise a mobile or portable player bay (FIG.8). Such a mobile or portable player bay may be integrated within avehicle trailer, with wheels 34 and a hitch 32, capable of being drivento a location where the player bay will be used for practice or play ofa particular sport. Furthermore, in alternative embodiments, thecomponents of an individual player may be disassembled for easytransport and reassembled on location where the player bay is to beutilized.

Further, in embodiments with modular player bays, the hitting bays orbatting bays 14 may include modular shared floor-ceiling component 16(FIGS. 1-3 and 5) that facilitates the stacking of player hitting baysor batting bays, side by side and one on top of another. FIGS. 3, 5 and6A depict a multi-level assembly of modular player bays. FIG. 6B shows atop-down view of a floor plan for an assembly of modular player bays,including a lounge area 67 behind the hitting area or batter's box 23.In certain embodiments, a shield, which may vary in height, such as atransparent screen 68, e.g., made of plexiglass, lucite or othertransparent material, may be used for aesthetic purposes or foradditional safety precaution.

Novel aspects of the vertical, ground-up pitching machine component ofthe present invention may include without limitation 1) the ability tovertically project the ball into distinct areas of the strike zone 62and even outside of the strike zone altogether (FIGS. 12, 13A and 13B);2) connectivity to a gameplay graphical user interface (FIG. 6C); 3) apitch trigger mechanism; 4) a pitch placement selection applicationoperating within the kiosk graphical user interface or on a connectedsmart device 60 (FIG. 11A); 5) connectivity to player and ballidentification and tracking technologies, including but not limited topressure sensors (to recognize presence of a batter in the batter's box23 or when a pitched ball is not hit), motion sensors, cameras ormicrophones (to determine when a player is “ready” for a pitch, whethera player has made a swing, or an attempt to hit the ball, and whether aball or strike was committed for a particular pitch), Doppler radar,infrared, cameras, RFID and other sensors 45 (FIG. 10C and 31) to trackthe location, speed, trajectory of a hit ball.

An ideal embodiment of the present invention may include the ability toidentify and vertically project balls of varying weight, size, color,and texture; such as softballs, baseballs, or even custom balls with asolid rubber core. An example of a custom ball would be a rubber coreball (lacrosse ball) wrapped in a leather baseball cover. This customball is designed to mimic the feel of hitting a baseball as well as tomaximize trajectory through elastic rebound of the rubber core tocompensate for loss of forward momentum typically gained from atraditional pitch.

One embodiment of the present invention may further include, but is notlimited to, 1) a sports field which may be composed of modular sportsfield segments 12, with distinct tracts 10, zones 11 (FIGS. 1-5 and 9)and targets 18 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 9), which may be located both on or abovethe ground and used for game scoring; 2) a ball collection, transportand delivery system, including a ball reservoir for holding a store ofballs that have been collected; 3) a ball feeder and identificationsystem (e.g., RFID tags in balls and RFID readers included at variouslocations within the ball collection, transport and delivery system); 4)a ground-up, vertical or soft toss pitching machine 100 capable ofprojecting the pitched ball into selected quadrants or sectors of thestrike zone (e.g., as directed by an app interface); 5) a system fortracking pitched and hit balls (RFID, Doppler radar, infrared, videocameras, motion and pressure sensors, smart fabrics etc.); 6) a smartdevice mobile application interface (FIGS. 6C, 11A and 11B) for personaldevices 60 (FIG. 11A) or a touchscreen kiosk 26 (providing a graphicaluser interface, enabling selection of gameplay options, finding newopponents, display of membership info, scoreboard and point-of-sale(POS) for purchases of memorabilia and/or refreshments); and 7) a loungearea 67 in the batting bay for spectators or teammates to safely watchthe competition, order food and beverages, or wait comfortably for theirnext at-bat or interact as designated pitcher via the mobileapplication.

Further, using the mobile app (FIGS. 6C, 11A and 11B) operating on apersonal connected smart device 60 or the touchscreen kiosk 26, players33 may select from among various games to play, select pitch locationfor oneself, a teammate or an opposing player, order purchases ofmemorabilia or refreshments such as food and beverages, track andreceive notifications regarding next at-bat, and control various otheraspects of gameplay, scoreboard and TV displays, as well as temperatureand local climate controls.

As shown in FIGS. 10C and 31, Doppler radar, infrared, cameras or othersensor devices 45 may be used to monitor and determine the speed andtrajectories and other parameters of pitches as well as hit pucks, ballsor other sports equipment. This data, including visual representationsof the puck or ball trajectory and pathway, may then be depicted onmobile devices or fixed screens 66 within the player bay 14. In the caseof remote competition, player hits, strikes and other activities andactions are preferably displayed on screens 66 at the competitors'respective locations. Connectivity to the point of sale system enablesplayers to compete for prizes or determine who is responsible forpayment of an invoice based on the outcome of their selected games(further explained in “loser pays” gameplay section.).

Balls or pucks may be placed in a convenient location of the hitting bayor batting bays. For bat-and-ball games, FIGS. 13-26 show that balls maybe pitched or projected vertically upwards from the ground, placed on orsuspended above a batting tee (e.g., via air pressure 64,electromagnetics, etc.), or dropped down from above, e.g., the pitchingmachine may be integrated into the ceiling.

In a preferred embodiment for bat-and-ball games, a batter's plate 25may be disposed within the batting bay, and the vertical or soft tosspitch machine may be located within several feet of the batter's plate,possibly in front of the batter's plate or on the side of the batter'splate opposite to an occupied batter's box. In a preferred embodiment,the ball is delivered to the batter via a soft toss pitch that pops theball up from one to several feet in front of home plate and the ballarcs back over home plate 25.

Soft toss is a method of pitching typically used by coaches forpracticing ball hitting in baseball and softball. Because the soft tosspitch is a low-momentum underhand toss, it needs to be delivered inclose proximity to the hitter and therefore also, for the protection ofthe pitcher, from off to the side of the hitter. Similarly, current softtoss pitching machines must be located off to the side of the batter inorder to prevent damage to the machine because they are not protected byan enclosure 70 the way contemplated by the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 13B-15 and 32-36, the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine 100 has an opening 106 through which the ball 50 passes. In thepresent invention, the soft toss pitch machine is located in anenclosure 70 (FIGS. 37 and 42) below the surface of the field or ground,which provides the pitch machine with protection from hit pitches andbats that may come loose from players' grips. This feature enables thesoft toss pitch machine to be placed in front of home plate 25 and thehitter, which is not an available option with competing devices andsystems. In additional embodiments, the soft toss pitch machine may bedisposed within a ground-level or just-above-ground-level enclosure 70inside of a pitching mound, which also provides protection necessarywhen placing the soft toss pitch machine in front of the batting box.Alternatively, the home plate 25 may further be configured to house themouth of the soft toss pitching machine that delivers the verticallypitched ball. In addition, players who wish to do so may have thepitching mechanism replaced with a batting tee.

Advantageously, employing a vertical or soft toss pitch machine meansthat no helmets or backstop or batting cage or netting is required forthe safety of the participants in the batting bay 14. However, a helmetor backstop or batting cage may be used as a precaution and/or foraesthetics. Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 27A-27C, helmets 150 may beused as a platform to provide an augmented reality visor 155. Further,the vertical soft toss pitch machine 100 also lowers the risk andconsequences of injury to players 33 (FIG. 6A) of being hit by a pitch.

And, a ground-up vertical or soft toss pitch may be less intimidating toindividuals who are new to the sport and the speed, height, angle andspin of the pitch delivered by the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine may be adjusted to accommodate players of different heights andskill-levels. In addition, a batting tee may be substituted in place ofthe batter's plate 25. In embodiments where the batter's plate 25comprises the mouth of the vertical soft toss pitching machine 100, itmay be configured to receive a section of vertical post 24 (FIGS. 6A, 23and 24) to convert the pitching machine into a conventional batting teefor players 33 who lack the skill to hit a moving ball or simply desireto have the batting tee option.

In addition, the pitching machine may further include, but is notlimited or required to include, a tray or other receptacle for holdingmultiple balls. Further, in a preferred embodiment the pitching machinemay also include, a pitch trigger mechanism (not displayed in the FIGs)to activate pitched ball release, allowing the user to exercise greatercontrol over the precise timing of pitch release and control over thefrequency of pitches.

The pitch trigger mechanism empowers a player 33 to determine manuallywhen pitching commences and at what time each individual pitch is made.Activating the trigger may commence a sequence of pitches delivered atset time intervals (e.g., every 5 or 10 seconds) or it may deliver asingle pitch on command. In addition, pressure or weight sensorsimplemented within the floor or ground of the batter's box may beemployed as safety sensors, disabling the pitching machine when there isno weight registered by the pressure sensors.

Furthermore, the pitch trigger mechanism may include one or more of afoot pedal mechanism, a trigger mechanism or motion sensor embeddedwithin the player's bat, a player motion tracking device (such as aFitbit® or an Apple® Watch), tracking mechanisms such as RFID, radar,infrared, optical, high-speed or other types of cameras or motionsensors, or even an application operating on a smart device. For motionsensor triggers, players may set or select specific bat or arm motionsto serve as a trigger of the delivery of individual pitches on command,e.g., a wave of the bat or the hand.

For embodiments employing a foot pedal pitch trigger mechanism, the footmay also be configured to flip up, switching off the ground-up pitchingmachine, and providing a mechanism of attachment for the batting teepost 24. For batting tee play, users may manually load a ball onto thebatting tee from the available tray of balls.

Moreover, a pitch application (FIGS. 11A and 11B) may be configured toenable players 33 (e.g., the batter or opposing team members) to use thekiosk 26 graphical user interface or a connected smart device 60 totrigger delivery of individual pitches on command and to select specificplacement for pitches delivered to a player at bat (FIGS. 11A-13B).

During gameplay, players 33 hit pitched balls from the batting bays 14(FIGS. 1 and 3-5) into the playing field 15 (FIGS. 1-5), and balls maybe pitched to the players using the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine 100. Further, a batter's plate 25 may be disposed within thebatting bay 14, and the batter's plate 25 may furthermore be configuredto house the pitching machine 100 (FIGS. 13B-15 and 32-36) and todeliver vertically pitched balls of different weights and sizes ormultiple ball launchpads 110 (FIG. 19) integrated within the pitchingmachine 100.

During gameplay, the “soft toss” vertically pitched ball may be selectedand placed to always be a “strike” pitch, which would mean that playersmust swing at every pitch or receive a strike towards a potential out.As shown in FIGS. 12, 13A and 13B, the pitching mechanism mayalternatively be configured to alter the pitching speed, height or angleto place the ball into specific quadrants or sectors of the strike zone62 or to place the ball outside of the strike zone altogether.

Further, a pivoting piston mechanism 75 (FIGS. 21 and 22) placed beneaththe ball in the vertical “ground-up” pitching machine may be employed tocontrol ball velocity and angle, as well as strike-zone quadrant orsector at pitch apex. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13A, rotating wheels66 may propel the pitched ball. Differential rates of rotation betweenthe rotating wheels may be used to control pitch velocity, angle,trajectory and apex, as well as to confer directional spin onto thepitched ball so as to effectuate a curve-ball type trajectory.

In certain embodiments, players 33 may hit the ball or puck into ascreen 30 depicting or displaying a sports field. In other embodiments,players may hit the ball or puck into a sports field 15, which may be anindoor, outdoor or a hybrid field, a combination of both indoor andoutdoor fields, meaning the field is partially enclosed. The ideal fielddesign allows players to see the full trajectory of the puck or ballhit, kicked, tossed or thrown by them (unlike traditional batting cageswhich are enclosed in nets).

In practice, tracking systems in open outdoor fields may be limited byuncooperative weather. Therefore, an ideal embodiment of the presentinvention includes a pressure sensitive screen depicting or displayingan image of a sports field deployable in front of the hitting bays. Thepressure sensitive “hitting” screen may be disposed on the back side ofa “garage door” mechanism configured to deploy in front of the hittingbays to keep out inclement weather.

In embodiments including a pressure sensitive hitting screen a centralcomputer is configured to detect the speed, angle of impact, trajectory,force of impact, momentum and spin and to use these parameters tocalculate a full trajectory and landing place of a hit or thrown ball orother piece of sport equipment. In addition, the central computer isconfigured to place and operate digital or virtual targets within avirtual playing field and also to use calculations of hit balltrajectories and landing places to determine whether or not a player hasscored a target hit. This function is also useful in versions of theinvention implemented via augmented reality as such digital or virtualtargets can be depicted within an augmented reality or virtual realityplatform.

Further, the field may be specifically designed to facilitate collectionand return of hit balls to a central location so that players or fieldstaff do not waste time and effort to chase and recover balls in thefield. Balls may be stored in a central repository or ball collectionreservoir (not pictured) where they are sorted and identified accordingto features such as size, color, weight, or material.

In accordance with the present invention, the sports facility mayinclude a number of hitting bays or batting bays 14, ideally between ten(10) and forty (40) bays per level and between one (1) and four (4)levels. In a preferred embodiment, the invention includes two levels andtwenty (20) batting bays per level. Each player bay 14 may be configuredto accommodate multiple players and teams of players. According toanother aspect of the present invention, a scoring board may bedisplayed on a screen 66 within each individual player bay 14 orvirtually in an augmented reality display 155. Team Score and nextplayer, as well as game and player progress may be displayed duringmulti-player scenarios.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a graphicaluser interface may be provided, either via the touchscreen kiosk 26located in the player bay 14 or via a mobile app operating on a user'spersonal device 60, to enable the players to login and establish theiridentity, update player profile information, and purchase time in theplayer bay as well as memorabilia and concessions.

Player profile may include statistics from previous rounds includingnumber of rounds played, average score per round, top score, teamscores, average swing speed and distance travelled, among otherstatistics related to gameplay and preferred or non-preferred pitchlocation. Skill level may be assigned to a player profile based on pastperformance, including without limitation “rookie”, “amateur”, “minor”,“double a”, “major leaguer” and “all-star”. Further, player rank withina ranking system may be displayed for players who elect to be ranked byterritory. These rankings could be by city, state, or country and couldbe overall, by team or by individual game.

As shown in FIG. 6B, in a preferred embodiment a graphical userinterface is provided on the touchscreen kiosk 26, which may be locatedadjacent to the batting area or on a personal device 60. A membershipcard reader and credit card reader may be included on each touchscreenkiosk, allowing players to login to their player bay 14, update theirplayer profile information, purchase food and beverages, and purchaseadditional time at the player bay.

The playing field 15 extends forward out from the player bays of thesports facility 20 and also laterally, beyond either end of the sportsfacility 20. In a preferred embodiment, the playing field istwo-hundred-fifty feet (250 ft.) long (from the edge of the player bays)and three-hundred-sixty feet (360 ft.) wide, allowing for twenty (20)player bays, each fourteen feet (14 ft.) wide, per level, and anadditional forty feet (40 ft.) of open field on either side of theplayer bay structure.

The ground or the pitch of the playing field may include demarcatedfield tracts 10 and field zones 11, each of increasingly greaterdistance from the player hitting bays or batting bays, and a number oftargets 18 within the zones. Tracts, zones and targets 18 may bedisplayed within an augmented reality display 155, or alternativelyprojected, painted or printed onto the sports field 15. Further,displayed, projected, printed or painted lines may be provided todemarcate the zones 11, tracts 10 and targets 18. In addition, there maybe tracts 10, zones 11, targets 18, or other demarcations in or on theground of the sports field 15 that may either trigger reward or penaltyto the player for having the projectile land in that specific location,depending on the specific game.

As shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 9, in one embodiment, the field may bedivided into five distance-based zones 11, separated by in-ground netsand/or channels that may run the entire width of the field. Targets 18may include but are not limited to ground targets (typically increasingin point value and height as they move further from the player bay)aerial targets 22, stationary, portable/moveable or mobile/movingtargets 21 (FIG. 5). Further, the sports field may comprise a number ofmodular sports field segments 12, and the demarcated tracts, zones andtargets may be integrated within the modular sports field segments.

Moreover, targets may be implemented as virtual or digital targetswithin an augmented reality display system 155 and in such case acentral computer would use data regarding speed, momentum, angle,trajectory and spin to calculate a full trajectory and determine whethera target hit has been scored. Targets may be used to award or subtractpoints depending on the rules of the particular game.

As shown in FIGS. 4 & 5, individual field segments 12, tracts 10 andzones 11 can have one or more targets 18 included therein, or may eveninclude portions or fractions of targets, which may create full targetswhen multiple segments having partial targets are linked together. Asshown in FIG. 3, multiple tracts 10 or rows of field segments can beintegrated to form a large sports field area 15. FIG. 3 also depicts awarning track 19, which may have a different color, texture and/orpattern demarcating that zone. In an ideal embodiment, the warning trackmay be sand or have a sand color and/or texture.

In an ideal embodiment, the playing field tracts 10, zones 11 andtargets 18 may be implemented as reconfigurable demarcations of theparticular markings required by the specific game being played bydisplay on one or more screens employed as a field surface or by using aprojector or an array of projectors to illuminate the field 15.Alternatively, the reconfigurable playing field demarcations can beimplemented via augmented reality, whereby the players wear displaydevices that project a virtual layover depicting playing fielddemarcations and any targets required for the particular game beingplayed.

The playing field may include tracts 10, zones 11 and targets 18 on theground, as well as zones 38 on a back wall 36 (FIG. 9) or fences, ramps,and surfaces of different textures and different coefficients offriction (sand, grass, gravel, brick) to alter the speed and trajectoryof a ball. FIG. 9 also shows sections of the sports field at differentheights and which may include ramps or obstacles, and a wall withsegments, all of which may represent different point values.

And further, the field may include a back fence, rising to a specifiedmaximum height, and also a back wall extending up to a greater maximumheight. In a preferred embodiment, the playing field may include nets oneither side and along a back fence, rising to a minimum height of 90 ft(the height of foul ball poles in Major League Baseball stadiums).

Further the back wall may be up to 150 ft tall and also may be sectionedinto multiple zones. In one preferred embodiment, the zone and otherplaying field demarcations may be projected or displayed onto theplaying field and onto the back wall. In another preferred embodiment,zone, target and other playing field demarcations may be displayedwithin an augmented reality system 155. Alternatively, the playing fieldand back wall zones may be demarcated using painted lines and also maybe further subdivided into target areas. In addition, the back wall maybe sectioned into four equally sized zones.

Furthermore, a central computer may use mechanisms such as Dopplerradar, infrared, optical, high-speed or other type of camera or remotesensing detector 45 (FIGS. 10C and 31), including but not limited tomotion sensors, RFID, pressure sensors or smart textiles, or somecombination thereof, to determine a player's strike zone 62 (FIGS. 12,13A and 13B) whether player has made a swing, or an attempt to hit theball, and whether a ball or strike was committed for a particular pitch,which segments, tracts, zones or targets are struck by a hit ball.Depending on which game is being played, the player may receive specificpoint values based on which segments, tracts, zones or targets the ballstrikes.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a hit-ballcollection system may include gravity-fed collection traps 27, funnels28, channels 29 and piping (FIGS. 7, 8 and 32-36), through which theballs are designed to roll due to variations in local pitch or angle ofthe field. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 32-36, traps 27 and funnels 28may be included behind the player 33 or behind home plate 25, so thatballs or pucks that are not successfully hit are directed into thesports equipment collection, transport and delivery systems. Further, asshown in FIG. 37, channels 29 may be integrated below the surface of theplayer bay to transport balls, pucks or other types of sports equipmentto the sport equipment delivery mechanism, e.g., a pitching machine 100.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the balls may bemoved through the various components of the collection system by anactive mode of transfer or transportation, such as conveyor belts orsuction. The ball and sports equipment collection, transport anddelivery system may include an integrated sports equipment delivery orfeed machine 40 (FIGS. 10A-10C), compatible with sports equipment ofvarious sizes and weights.

In a preferred embodiment, shown in FIGS. 10A-10C, after collection ofthe sports equipment, the sports equipment collection, delivery andtransport system transports collected balls to a central collected ballreservoir, sorting and identification machine, following which sortedballs are transported via a feeder pipe 47 to the ball delivery machine40 that delivers the collected balls to the pitching device 100. Incertain embodiments, feeder pipe 47 may be connected directly orindirectly to conduit 13 to receive balls from the sports equipmentcollection and transport systems.

Alternatively, a ball collection method could be implemented usingmanual ball collection or by employing a remote controlled or anautonomous cart specifically designed to pick up balls 50 of varioussizes and weights, for temporary storage in a mobile collection bin andeasy transfer to central collection point (collected sports equipmentreservoir) and sports equipment delivery machine 40.

The ball delivery machine 40 receives balls 50 from the ball collectionreservoir and the sorting and identification machine, and holds theballs in a local ball reservoir, where individual balls are capturedfrom the local reservoir and entrained in a conveyor system by aplurality of conveyor blades 42. A gear system 44 may drive the conveyorand in some embodiments the balls 50 may be fed to drop into a tray orchannel 29 which feeds the pitching machine 100.

In other embodiments, the balls 50 might be fed into a moveable balldispense arm or ball elevator mechanism 46, with a curved cup shapedreceptacle for holding the balls 50. The ball dispense arm 46 may feed aball directly into the vertical or soft toss pitching machine or to aplayer for manual placement of the ball on a batting tee. The ballelevator mechanism 46 may be lowered at a precise speed to a preciselocation for feeding the ball 50 into the pitching machine 100. Theelevator mechanism can also be raised to make the process of putting aball on a tee more convenient. Further, the ball dispense arm may beemployed to accurately control timing of ball placement on a batting teeor within a pitching machine.

In further embodiments, Doppler radar, infrared, cameras or othersensors devices 45 may be placed in convenient locations, for examplesuch as those shown in FIGS. 10A-10C. These Doppler, infrared, camerasor other sensor devices 45 may be wirelessly connected to thetouchscreen kiosk 26 and display mechanism. In addition, a convenientmount and wireless access point 48 may be provided for the touchscreenkiosk 26.

Furthermore, in certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10C the ballfeeding system may be configured to provide an attachment for a bucket52 of collected balls, enabling balls to feed directly from the bucket52 into the ball reservoir. In such embodiments, the balls may beautomatically loaded from the bucket 52 or manually loaded into areservoir access opening 49.

FIGS. 14A-14D depict various perspective views of the ball pitchingmachine 100 and, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13A and 13B, Doppler radar,infrared, cameras or other sensor devices 45 may be used to determineplayer strike zones 62 and placement of pitched balls within specificsectors or quadrants of the strike zone. And, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13Aand 13B, the pitching machine may then use the player strike zone asdetermined by the Doppler radar, infrared, cameras or other sensordevices 45 to place a pitch in a precise quadrant or sector of thestrike zone 62 and to track the pitched ball to determine if theattempted placement correctly achieved the specific desired quadrant orsector.

Additionally, the Doppler radar, infrared, cameras or other sensordevices 45 and other tracking sensors may be used to determine whetherthe player has attempted a swing or made a successful hit. A systemapplication program interface converts data points measured by theDoppler radar, infrared, cameras or other sensors and detectors intogameplay scores and sends these scores to the scoreboard interface.

In a preferred embodiment, the soft toss pitch machine system mayfurther comprise one or more sensory indicators, including one or moreof lights, sounds and vibrations, configured to indicate one or more ofpitch readiness, pitch difficulty, pitch apex location, location ordirection of targets and a player's current status. FIG. 15 depicts avertical or soft toss pitching machine, including a machine housing 112and various LEDs 104 which can be employed to indicate which of severalcolor coded targets the player should aim for, a players status (e.g.,hot or cold), and when a player should expect to receive a pitched ball.

In certain embodiments, the pitching machine includes energy storage andrelease mechanisms 102 to impart energy to projecting a ball 50 and insome preferred embodiments these energy storage and release mechanismsmay comprise springs and/or pistons.

A ball launchpad 110 may be connected to the energy storage and releasemechanisms to hold the ball 50 in place and to impart the energyreleased by the energy storage and release mechanisms to the ball 50.Further, the vertical or soft toss pitching machine may also include amotion sensor 108, so that it may sense when a player has stepped up tobat. In certain embodiments, there may be a cover over the innermechanism of the vertical or soft toss pitching machine, with an opening106 through which the pitched ball must pass.

FIG. 17 depicts an underside view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine, with drainage openings 114 and a hollow cylindrical portion 122which acts as a housing for one or more pivoting pistons 75 and as apipe feed connector 122 for receiving balls from the ball deliverymachine 40. FIG. 18 shows a top perspective view of the pitchingmachine, which may also include an elastic rubberized flooring 116 thatsurrounds the launchpad 110 and covers the energy storage and releasemechanisms 102.

FIG. 18 depicts a topside perspective view of the pitching machine. FIG.19 depicts an embodiment of the vertical or soft toss pitching machinewith two or more launchpads for projecting balls into differentquadrants or sectors of the strike-zone. FIG. 20 depicts a side view ofthe pitching machine. FIGS. 21 and 22 depict cross-sectional views ofthe vertical or soft toss pitching machine, side-to-side andfront-to-back, respectively.

FIG. 23 depicts a side-view of the vertical or soft toss pitchingmachine with a conversion post 24 inserted to transform the pitchingmachine into a batting tee. FIG. 24 depicts a side-view of the verticalor soft toss pitching machine with a batting tee conversion from whichthe ball 50 is projected or suspended using directed air pressure 64.Alternatively, electromagnetic forces, such as magnetic levitation maybe used to suspend the ball above the batting tee.

FIG. 25 depicts a side-view of an embodiment vertical or soft tosspitching machine that projects or suspends the ball 50 using directedair pressure 64. FIG. 26 depicts an embodiment of the vertical or softtoss pitching machine, suspended from the ceiling and dropping orprojecting the ball from above into the strike zone.

FIG. 27A depicts a player wearing a helmet 150 with an augmented realityvisor 155 and 27B and 27C depict close-up views of a helmet 150 with anaugmented reality visor 155.

Gameplay

After entering player information via the mobile application or swipingtheir membership cards, players may select from among various differentgame modes. Game modes may include single player game modes, such as forexample arcade mode, training mode and online gameplay, and multi-playermodes, such as on-site competitive gameplay, training mode, scrimmagemode and online gameplay.

In the single player arcade mode, players may select from a series ofsingle player games. In training or scrimmage modes, players canpractice batting for distance and accuracy and engage in a variety ofother training exercises and “non-league” gameplay. In the multi-playermode, players may select from head-to-head gameplay (player 1 vs player2), team play (for two or more players on each team), and online“league” play.

And the online gameplay mode allows players to select among variousgames for online play against other players in other player bays at thesame location or other players at remote geographic locations. In theonline gameplay mode, players' opponents may be selected in one ofseveral ways including, but not limited to, manually (based on the entryof a specific player ID), by a “league” gameplay schedule, and by asoftware algorithm (e.g., random or parameters-based opponentselection).

In online league and multi-player gameplay, players may be selected asteam members for ad-hoc team play or as members of established teams aspart of a pre-organized league, tournament or bracket gameplay. Teamsmay create their own leagues or tournaments with other players, or maychoose to join a regularly schedule league or tournament.

Prizes for winning teams or individuals may be made available, such asfree food and beverages. League or tournament games could be scheduledregularly or be one off elimination style. Leagues or tournaments couldbe either local or global, with the ability to play against other teamswithin a specified schedule regulated through the gaming software.

The object of a simple game may be to achieve the highest score aftersome set number of “at bats”, e.g., ten (10) at bats per player. Aplayer “at bat” may be given an opportunity to hit some number of balls,e.g., three (3) balls, either from the batting tee or from the toss upmachine. The best score of each at bat, based on distance travelled andtarget accuracy (which may provide multipliers of the base distancescore), will be kept for each player and the team with the most pointsat the end of the ten (10) “innings” will be the winning team. Similarto “frames” in bowling, each individuals' performance in an inning maybe used to determine score multiples in subsequent innings based ontheir past performance.

The present invention uses tracking technology to gather performancedata on a variety of both ball and bat swing measurements. Ball datagathered includes but is not limited to: ball speed; vertical launchangle; horizontal launch angle; vertical decent angle; spin rate; spinaxis; total distance; lateral landing; apex height; hang-time; and balldispersion patterns. Likewise, measurable bat and swing data may includebat speed; bat speed profile, bat acceleration, bat angle (angle ofattack and angle of impact); bat path; wrist rotation; vertical swingplane; horizontal swing plane.

These previously mentioned measurements can then be converted to a scorevia the connected user interface using an application program interface(API). The API specifies how software components should interact andAPIs are used when programming graphical user interface (GUI)components. As such, the present invention is designed to support theplay of several unique games including but not limited to: 1)Traditional HR Derby 2) Homerun Hero; 3) Small Ball; 4) Batter Battle,(4a) Distance Battle (4b) Timed Battle; 5) Bottom of the 9^(th); 6)Bases Loaded; 7) Pitcher Battle; and 8) D-E-R-B-Y.

“Traditional HR Derby” This bracket style competition enables any numberof players to compete in a game to see who can hit the most “homeruns”before they reach a predetermined number of “outs” (default number being10 outs). A player scores a homerun by hitting a ball over a fencethey've identify as the “target fence.” A player earns an “out” byswinging and missing, or hitting the ball short of the “target fence.”

“Home Run Hero” is a game designed for individual or small team play,with points awarded for both total number of home runs and a cumulativeteam score based on advancing digital “base-runners.” Batter performancewill be scored based on which of five zones the ball hits, with morepoints awarded to a central target area than to target areas farther outfrom the central target area. game enables players to earn both anindividual and cumulative team score based on their ability to hit aball into different “zones.” Zones determine the number of points aplayer receives and they also determine the number of bases team runnersadvance.

Similar to bowling, each player on the team has a pre-determined numberof “frames” or “innings” and every player on the team gets anopportunity to take three swings each inning. (Unlike traditionalbaseball/softball, in which the inning ends after 3 outs.) Each playergets 3 swings per inning, and the best score of the three swings is thenrecorded. This new team sport requires teams to work together to advancerunners around the bases while individually competing to earn thehighest score. Bonus and multiplier scores can be added to rewarddistance, consistency, accuracy, and/or power.

“Small Ball” is another game designed for individual or small team play,with points awarded solely for hitting the ball into infield andmidfield target areas. Unlike Homerun Hero, which rewards players forpower hitting, “Small Ball” is a more inclusive game for some playerswho prefer to be scored on accuracy and consistency.

“Batter Battle” is a multi-player, head-to-head competition thatchallenges players to reach a pre-determined cumulative distance(Distance Battle) or accumulate more “home runs” than their competitorbefore time expires (Timed Battle). Each ball is pitched simultaneouslyso the competitors have the opportunity to take the same number ofswings each, and the distance each ball travels is recorded as playersattempt to reach a predetermined total as fast as possible.

“Bottom of the 9 ^(th)” is a competition to challenge players to performunder pressure. Each player only gets one swing at a time, the firstplayer to hit a homerun wins.

“Bases Loaded” or “RBI King” is an individual or multi-player practicemode which challenges players to earn as many “Runs Batted In” (RBIs) aspossible. Players will be introduced to hypothetical situations via thedigital user interface displaying “base runners” in a variety oflocations. Batters will attempt to hit the ball into pre-determinedzones as they practice baseball fundamentals in an effort to earn moreruns. The game can be used to teach batters the optimal location to hita ball in an effort to advance as many runners as possible. Points maybe deducted if players hit into “double-play” zones, pop-out, orstrike-out.

“Pitcher Battle” is a unique multi-player game that allows individualsto participate in the competitive aspects of the bat and ball gameswhether or not they are not present at the facility. Using a mobileapplication and API connected to the ground-up pitching machine, aplayer, coach, or parent can be designated as the “pitcher” for aparticular game and may use the mobile application downloaded on theirphone to make real-time selections of different pitch variables such asthe ball type, pitch height, location and difficulty for a particularbatter or team of batters.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the playingfield, system and method are configured to implement a hitting accuracygame for two or more players, whereby the objective is to avoidreceiving a pre-set number of “strikes”. A first player calls thespecific zone or target for his or her upcoming hit and is given one ormore attempts to make the called hit.

The first player steps up to bat and a ball is fed to the batting tee orfed through the vertical or soft toss pitch machine. If the first playermakes the called hit in the allotted number of attempts, then the nextplayer must make the same called hit and is given the same number ofallotted attempts to make the called hit.

If the next player fails to hit the ball into the called zone or targetand does not make the called hit within the allotted number of attempts,then such next player receives a “strike”. If the next player does makethe called hit, then they do not receive a strike.

After all payers have attempted to make the initial called hit, thefirst player calls another specific zone or target for his or herupcoming hit. If the first player does not make the called hit, then thenext player is given the opportunity to call the specific zone or targetfor his or her upcoming hit, and the game proceeds as previouslydescribed.

Once a player receives the pre-set number of strikes, that player isremoved from gameplay, and the other players continue the game until allplayers, except the winner, have received the pre-set number of strikesand have been removed from gameplay. The winner of the game is the lastplayer to avoid receiving the full number of pre-set strikes.

In a preferred embodiment, this game of hitting accuracy is stylized as“D-E-R-B-Y”, with each strike counting against a letter in the wordDERBY, the first strike counted as a “D”, the second strike counted asan “E”, and so on, with the winner being the last player to avoidgetting all five letters in the word DERBY.

The game starts with Player 1 selecting a zone or target (as depicted inFIGS. 1-5) on a display, e.g., a touch screen, such as the kiosk 26 orpersonal mobile device 60, e.g., a tablet or smartphone, or augmentedreality display 155, which corresponds to the playing field. Next,Player 1 steps up to bat, and the display screen indicates player 1,with the word DERBY below Player 1's name. For example, the letters ofDERBY may be shown in white, with the letters converting to the colorred as players gain letters or receive “strikes”.

In this preferred embodiment, Player 1 has three (3) attempts to hit theball into the pre-selected zone or target. If a player is able to hitthe ball into the pre-selected zone or target, then that player hassucceeded and it immediately becomes the next player's turn, (i.e., ifthe player successfully hits the ball into the pre-selected zone ortarget on their first ball, they do not hit the next two balls). If theplayer that selected the zone or target is unable to hit the ball intothe pre-selected zone or target after 3 attempts, then it becomes thenext player's turn, with the right to select a zone or target andattempt to hit the ball into that zone or target in 3 attempts.

If the player that selected the zone or target successfully hits theball into the pre-selected zone or target within three (3) attempts,then it immediately becomes the next player's turn, with the obligationto also hit the ball into the same pre-selected zone or target withinthree (3) attempts. If after three (3) attempts Player 2 has notsuccessfully hit a ball into that zone, Player 2 will receive a letterin the word Derby. If it is their first letter, they will receive theletter D, and so on.

If Player 2 is successful in hitting a ball into the zone that Player 1hit into, then it will be Player 3's turn to hit into the same target inthree (3) attempts. If Player 3 is unsuccessful, then they will receivea letter. If Player 3 is successful, then it moves onto the next player.If all players are able to hit the ball into the target, then thesequence begins again with Player 1 who selects a new target, and theround begins again.

In multi-player mode, players will be able to select “loser pays” mode(FIG. 38), where the losing player or team agrees to be billed for apre-determined amount or percentage of food and beverages ordered by thegroup of players or teams or ordered by the winning player or team,after competing in and losing a selected “game of skill”. Players mayhave the ability to select individual items off the menu, or split thetotal bill as a percent or dollar amount. Additional functionality couldbe selecting a beverage or food item and quantity (i.e., ten appetizersamplers or ten buckets of beers), which could be automatically orderedand billed to the losing player or team upon completion of competitivegameplay.

Players may enter the “stakes” of the game into the system before theround begins. They will then divide players into teams or select the“every man for himself” mode. Each player will agree to the “friendlycompetition” by swiping his/her credit card before the game begins, andsigning a line on the screen that explains the terms and conditions ofthe game. If certain player(s) do not want to participate, they can optout of the competition and will be billed separately for any food ordrink they want to order. The system will temporarily store the player'spayment information and will track progress of the game. At the end ofthe selected game, the player with the lowest score will be billed forthe pre-determined amount. If a credit card on file is not valid, orthere is a controversy over the “winner” the bill may be split evenlybetween all competitors.

It should be understood that, although specific embodiments have justbeen described, the claimed subject matter is not intended to be limitedin scope to any particular embodiment or implementation. For instance,many of the embodiments described were in reference to or in conjunctionwith bat-and-ball games. However, it should be understood that many ofthese features, elements and limitations may also be applied to many ofthe other sports intended to be covered by and included in the presentinvention, such as hockey, soccer, football and basketball.

In the preceding description, various aspects of claimed subject mattermay have been described. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers,systems, or configurations may have been set forth to provide a thoroughunderstanding of claimed subject matter. However, it should be apparentto one skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure thatclaimed subject matter may be practiced without those specific details.In other instances, features that would be understood by one of ordinaryskill in the art were omitted or simplified so as not to obscure claimedsubject matter.

While certain features have been illustrated or described herein, manymodifications, substitutions, or equivalents may not occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications or changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the claimed subject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A batting bay, comprising: one or more battingareas, each batting area having a home plate and at least one battingbox from which a batter is enabled to hit one or more launched balls;and a programmable ball launching machine, configured to launch theballs to the batters, wherein the ball launching machine includes a balllaunch mechanism located within one to ten feet in front of the battingbox, wherein the ball launch mechanism launches the balls along an arc,with a vertical launch angle and a horizontal launch angle, towards thehome plate, wherein the ball launch mechanism is connected to a balllaunch trigger mechanism configured to trigger individual launched ballsor a sequence of launched balls, comprising one or more mechanismsselected from a group of mechanisms including at least 1) detection of aspecific bat, hand or arm motion by one or more player motion trackingmechanisms including RFID, radar, infrared, optical, high-speed or othertypes of cameras and motion sensors, and 2) a software application userinterface displayed on a computer screen or a smart device, and whereinthe ball launching machine further comprises or is operatively connectedto one or more sensory indicators, including one or more of light, soundand vibration mechanisms.
 2. The batting bay of claim 1, wherein theball launching machine is configured to adjust one or more of a speed,spin, arc, and apex of a launched ball, to propel a launched ball alonga specific pathway and control placement of a launched ball within oroutside of a striking zone of the batter.
 3. The batting bay of claim 2,wherein the ball launching machine further configured to enableselection of pitch placement by opponents via a software applicationprogram interface, such as a graphical user interface, mobile app, ortouch screen kiosk.
 4. The batting bay of claim 2, wherein the one ormore sensory indicators are configured to indicate one or more of pitchreadiness, pitch difficulty, apex, or location, color-coding, locationand direction of targets, and a current status of the batter.
 5. Thebatting bay of claim 1, wherein the ball launch trigger mechanismfurther comprises one or more sensors, including pressure sensors, moremotion sensors, infrared sensors, cameras, microphones, and radars,configured to detect one or more of presence of the batter, batter handwaves and gestures, location, speed and trajectory of a launched ball,swing of a bat, and location, speed and trajectory of a hit ball.
 6. Thebatting bay of claim 5, wherein the ball launching machine furthercomprises one or more pressure or weight sensors implemented within thefloor or ground of the batting area.
 7. The batting bay of claim 6,wherein the ball launching machine is configured to disable the launchmechanism when the one or more pressure or weight sensors implementedwithin the floor or ground of the batting area fail to register thepresence of a batter.
 8. The batting bay of claim 1, wherein the balllaunching machine further comprises an elevator, auger or conveyor thatlifts the ball and delivers it into position for launch of the ball. 9.The batting bay of claim 1, wherein the ball launch mechanism furthercomprises one or more of one or more pistons and one or more pneumaticlaunch mechanisms, configured to launch the ball.
 10. A batting bay,comprising: one or more batting areas, each batting area having a homeplate and at least one batting box from which a batter is enabled to hitone or more launched balls; and a programmable ball launching machine,configured to launch the balls to the batters, wherein the balllaunching machine includes a ball launch mechanism located within one toten feet in front of the batting box, wherein the ball launch mechanismlaunches the balls along an arc, with a vertical launch angle and ahorizontal launch angle, towards the home plate, and wherein the balllaunch mechanism is connected to a ball launch trigger mechanismconfigured to trigger individual launched balls or a sequence oflaunched balls, comprising one or more mechanisms selected from a groupof mechanisms including at least 1) detection of a specific bat, hand orarm motion by one or more player motion tracking mechanisms includingRFID, radar, infrared, optical, high-speed or other types of cameras andmotion sensors, and 2) a software application user interface displayedon a computer screen or a smart device.
 11. The batting bay of claim 10,wherein the ball launching machine is configured to adjust one or moreof a speed, spin, arc, and apex of a launched ball, to propel a launchedball along a specific pathway and control placement of a launched ballwithin or outside of a striking zone of the batter.
 12. The batting bayof claim 11, wherein the ball launching machine further configured toenable selection of pitch placement by opponents via a softwareapplication program interface, such as a graphical user interface,mobile app, or touch screen kiosk.
 13. The batting bay of claim 11,wherein the ball launching machine further comprises or is operativelyconnected to one or more sensory indicators, including one or more oflights, sounds and vibrations, and wherein the one or more sensorindicators are configured to indicate one or more of pitch readiness,pitch difficulty, pitch apex location, color-coding, location anddirection of targets, and a current status of the batter.
 14. Thebatting bay of claim 10, wherein the ball launch trigger mechanismfurther comprises one or more sensors, including pressure sensors, moremotion sensors, infrared sensors, cameras, microphones, and radars,configured to detect one or more of presence of the batter, batter handwaves and gestures, location, speed and trajectory of a launched ball,swing of a bat, and location, speed and trajectory of a hit ball. 15.The batting bay of claim 14, wherein the ball launching machine furthercomprises one or more pressure or weight sensors implemented within thefloor or ground of the batting area.
 16. The batting bay of claim 15,wherein the ball launching machine is configured to disable the launchmechanism when the one or more pressure or weight sensors implementedwithin the floor or ground of the batting area fail to register thepresence of a batter.
 17. The batting bay of claim 10, wherein the balllaunching machine further comprises an elevator, auger or conveyor thatlifts the ball and delivers it into position for launch of the ball. 18.The batting bay of claim 10, wherein the ball launch mechanism furthercomprises one or more of one or more pistons and one or more pneumaticlaunch mechanisms, configured to launch the ball.
 19. A batting bay,comprising: one or more batting areas, each batting area having a homeplate and at least one batting box from which a batter is enabled to hitone or more launched balls; and a programmable ball launching machine,configured to launch the balls to the batters, wherein the balllaunching machine includes a ball launch mechanism located within one toten feet in front of the batting box, wherein the ball launch mechanismlaunches the balls along an arc, with a vertical launch angle and ahorizontal launch angle, towards the home plate, and wherein the balllaunching machine further comprises or is operatively connected to oneor more sensory indicators, including one or more of lights, sounds andvibrations.
 20. The batting bay of claim 19, wherein the ball launchingmachine is configured to adjust one or more of a speed, spin, arc, andapex of a launched ball, to propel a launched ball along a specificpathway and control placement of a launched ball within or outside of astriking zone of the batter.
 21. The batting bay of claim 20, whereinthe ball launching machine further configured to enable selection ofpitch placement by opponents via a software application programinterface, such as a graphical user interface, mobile app, or touchscreen kiosk.
 22. The batting bay of claim 20, wherein the one or moresensor indicators are configured to indicate one or more of pitchreadiness, pitch difficulty, pitch apex location, color-coding, locationand direction of targets, and a current status of the batter.
 23. Thebatting bay of claim 19, wherein the ball launching machine is connectedto a ball launch trigger mechanism, configured to trigger individualpitches or a sequence of pitches, comprising one or more mechanismsselected from a group of mechanisms including at least 1) detection of aspecific bat, hand or arm motion by one or more player motion trackingmechanisms including RFID, radar, infrared, optical, high-speed or othertypes of cameras and motion sensors, and 2) a software application userinterface displayed on a computer screen or a smart device, and whereinthe ball launch trigger mechanism further comprises one or more sensors,including pressure sensors, more motion sensors, infrared sensors,cameras, microphones, and radars, configured to detect one or more ofpresence of the batter, batter hand waves and gestures, location, speedand trajectory of a launched ball, swing of a bat, and location, speedand trajectory of a hit ball.
 24. The batting bay of claim 23, whereinthe ball launching machine further comprises one or more pressure orweight sensors implemented within the floor or ground of the battingarea.
 25. The batting bay of claim 24, wherein the ball launchingmachine is configured to disable the launch mechanism when the one ormore pressure or weight sensors implemented within the floor or groundof the batting area fail to register the presence of a batter.
 26. Thebatting bay of claim 19, wherein the ball launching machine furthercomprises an elevator, auger or conveyor that lifts the ball anddelivers it into position for launch of the ball.
 27. The batting bay ofclaim 19, wherein the ball launch mechanism further comprises one ormore of one or more pistons and one or more pneumatic launch mechanisms,configured to launch the ball.